Strawberry-Chia Jam with 3 ingredients

The strawberry jam that we buy nowadays is not made of fruit anymore, the fruit content has been reduced and as you can imagine it has been replaced with all types of sweeteners and preservatives many of their names I can’t even pronounce. If you go to farmer markets you can still buy some good strawberry jam but sometimes they are a bit overpriced. This is one of the reasons why I decided to make it at home but what really caught my eye was the Chia Seed Jam trend and so this recipe was born. To make my strawberry chia seed jam, all you need are fresh or frozen strawberries, honey, chia seeds and less than 20′ to make it. It has the same texture and delicious fruity taste but without any refined sugar.

Chia seeds transform fruit into a sweet and smooth jam, how do they do this? These cool, little seeds create a gelatinous coating when they absorb any liquid. You just have to mix all the ingredients and then the chia seeds will work their magic.

In less than 30′ it will be ready to spread on toasts!

I know it’s hard to believe that you can make this recipe in just 30′ especially if you have seen your grandmother spending hours making the jam you loved so much as a child. But unfortunately nowadays we don’t have as much time to cook healthy meals but I promise you this is still healthy but most importantly it tastes as good as your grandmother’s recipe!

Please don’t think for a minute I’m dissing grannies, they have their own way of cooking and honestly their cooking is the best, there is nothing like my granny’s croquettes.

Marmalade is a very personal thing, some people prefer it thick, other people need more sweetness and that’s perfectly fine. The best thing about this recipe is that you can customise it to suit your own tastes. I like citrus flavours so I just add a tiny amount of natural sweetener in this recipe but if you have a sweet tooth or you are used to processed jams I’d suggest that you add an extra spoon of honey, it won’t change the texture of your marmalade but will make it that little bit sweeter. You can also tweak the recipe a bit by pouring in a few drops of your favourite extract or liquor to give it a little kick.

Let’s talk a bit more about how to enjoy this jam, I like to treat myself at weekends with a couple of slices of wholegrain toast with Irish butter and this marmalade, nothing fancy but I think what I love about my weekend treat is the smell and the taste of simple things. By the way, pure Irish butter is one of my weaknesses since I moved to Dublin. It tastes like heaven and I also have a bit weird habit, I butter the bread before I toast it, strange I know.

If you want to use it all at once, I’ll give you some suggestions on what you do with it. My favourite one is a snack bar with a layer of straberry jam by Minimalist Baker. I used the Straberry-Chia jam I had left and it was amazing. I love this blog it’s all about easy cooking with lovely flavours and amazing photos.

Now get your fresh or frozen strawberries ready because you can’t miss out on this recipe, no complications, no hassle and you’ll have a traditional jam in just 15′. I look forward to seeing your pictures on Instagram with the hasgtag #shoothecook ! See you soon.

Strawberry-Chia Jam with 3 ingredients

2016-10-12 00:17:37

Serves 1

Strawberry-Chia Jam is much healthier and way easier to make than traditional jams. Have a look at the 3 ingredients you need!

Add the chopped strawberries to a pan over a medium heat and bring to a simmer. Cook for 5'. Mash them with a potato masher or fork to allow them to soften quickly. Remove from the heat, pour in the honey and stir well.

Finally add the chia seeds and stir to combine all the ingredients. Pour the mixture into the open container to allow it to cool down completely (approx 2 hours) Then you can close the container and store it in the fridge.

Notes

*This should last for Up to 2 weeks in the fridge

*Make it vegan by adding agave or brown rice syrup instead of honey

*Make it even sweeter by adding 1 full cup of honey or substitute honey for maple syrup